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Top 5 Firearms in Pulp Fiction (1994)

Tarantino is famously specific about the guns his characters carry — and Pulp Fiction is the masterclass. Every firearm in the film is period-correct for 1994, character-coded, and chosen for visual presence on screen. Here are the five that earn the most screen time and the most rewatches.

5. The Pawnshop Arsenal — M1 Garand & Friends

When Butch (Bruce Willis) goes back into Maynard's pawnshop to rescue Marsellus, he stops at the top of the stairs and shops the available weapons one by one. He passes over a hammer, a baseball bat, and a chainsaw before settling on the katana — a comedic escalation that's really about Butch's character: he picks the weapon with the most presence, not the most stopping power.

The firearms in the same shop include an M1 Garand (the U.S. service rifle of WWII and Korea) and a 16-gauge double-barrel shotgun. Butch ignores them — Tarantino's way of telling you Butch is past the point where a gun would solve the problem.

4. Honey Bunny's Star Firestar

Amanda Plummer's character — the unhinged half of the diner-heist couple — carries a Star Firestar, a small Spanish-made 9mm or .40 S&W compact pistol. The Firestar's blocky aesthetic and small frame make it look outsized in her hand when she's screaming "any of you fuckin' pricks move and I'll execute every motherfucking last one of you" — exactly the visual contrast Tarantino wanted.

The Star Firestar is now out of production (Star went bankrupt in 1997), making it a quietly collectible 1990s pistol. Used examples in good condition still appear on the used market for $300-500.

3. Pumpkin's Smith & Wesson Model 19

Tim Roth's Pumpkin holds a Smith & Wesson Model 19 — a K-frame .357 Magnum revolver with a 2.5" barrel — during the diner heist. The Model 19 was the iconic mid-century police service revolver, carried by detectives across the U.S. through the 1970s and 80s before being phased out in favor of semi-autos. Pumpkin carrying one in 1994 reads as slightly behind the times — a small-time crook using slightly outdated equipment, which fits the character.

The Model 19 is still in production (now as the "Classic" line) and remains popular as a concealed-carry revolver and woods gun.

2. The MAC-10 — "I shot Marvin in the face"

The most narratively important firearm in the film. The MAC-10 (Military Armament Corporation Model 10) is a blowback-operated submachine gun chambered most commonly in .45 ACP or 9mm. Vincent (John Travolta) carries one in his bag during the apartment confrontation, and it's the gun in his hand when the car hits a bump and he accidentally discharges it into the back seat — a moment that drives the rest of the film's third act through the Wolf, the Bonnie situation, and Marsellus's eventual fate.

MAC-10s are heavily restricted under the National Firearms Act in the U.S. — fully-automatic transferable examples sell for $25,000-$45,000 in 2026 dollars. Semi-auto variants (Cobray M11/9, Masterpiece Arms MPA series) are more accessible.

1. Vincent and Jules's Star Model B

The single most iconic firearm in Pulp Fiction. Both Vincent and Jules carry the Star Model B 9mm — a Spanish-made pistol that's essentially a clone of the Browning Hi-Power's earlier production format, but with a slightly different ergonomic grip angle and a single-stack magazine.

Tarantino picked the Star Model B specifically because it looked like a 1911 from a distance but had a distinctly European profile up close — period-correct for two 1990s hitmen who'd source untraceable firearms through black-market channels rather than U.S. retail. The Hi-Power-style aesthetic also photographed cleanly under the apartment's harsh lighting.

Star Model Bs were imported into the U.S. through the late 1980s and remain a quietly common collector pistol — typically $300-500 on the used market, more for examples in original condition with matching boxes.

Why Tarantino's choices matter

Pulp Fiction's firearms aren't randomly cast — every gun is character coding. Vincent and Jules carry European semi-autos because they're professionals operating outside legal supply chains. Pumpkin uses an outdated police revolver because he's a small-time amateur. Honey Bunny's tiny Firestar mirrors her tiny frame and outsized rage. The MAC-10's near-uncontrollable rate of fire is exactly why one gentle pothole turns it into a plot device.

GoBallistic identifies every one of these on a paused frame — point your camera at the screen and get the make, model, and (for Pro users) the full IMFDB-sourced cinema history.